Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters – Season 6
by Innermost
Summary: One year after Atem's departure to the Afterlife, Yugi finally lives his normal life again. However, a mysterious, ancient threat rises from the depths of something that's beneath the Shadow Realm, causing disturbance to the Afterlife and the World of the Living. Atem returns from his Afterlife once again. With many new hardships and struggles to face,
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters – Season 6**

**Summary**

_One year after Atem's departure to the Afterlife, Yugi finally lives his normal life again. However, a mysterious, ancient threat rises from the depths of something that's beneath the Shadow Realm, causing disturbance to both worlds: the Afterlife and the World of the Living. Atem returns from his Afterlife once again. With many new hardships and struggles to face, Yugi knows his adventures with Atem are not over yet._

**Important note**

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own this plot, my OCs and the extra things that I added.

No Yaoi or whatever. English dub names will be used.

**The OCs**

Name of OC: Anna Tanaka

Nickname: Snow Black

Age: 17

Hair: Dark, ALMOST black. However, it has a purple glow.

Long hair (waist length) with bangs and long sleek layers.

Eye color: Pale blue

Height: 164 cm tall

Skin color: Fair/light

Name of OC: Alexander

Nickname: Alex

Age: 18

Hair: Brown, medium-length hair

Eye color: Amber (yellow-orange)

Height: 176 cm tall

Skin color: Light

Character traits: Cynical, reliable, protective, honest, sarcastic

More potential OC's will be added later on. Not sure about that, we'll have to see if it goes well with the plot.

* * *

**Prologue**

'_Where.. am I? How did I get here? It's so c-cold' she thought. _

_Her long, dark hair covered her face partially as she was lying on the ground. When she tried to open her eyes, her eyes widened. This wasn't the place that was called home. "No, it can't be!" she said, devastated by the area that was shrouded in darkness that's covered in thick, dark fog. Everything surrounding her had no walls or a surface. It was basically an endless void. _

_She tried to stand up, but failed. "I.. c-can't.. move! H-how is this.. possible?" She said, while attempting to move a little. With every inch of movement, she winced in pain. It made her sad to be drained from her energy, how this energy drain occurred was still a big mystery to her. Her current condition was fatal; the feeling of being close to death was far greater than she expected it to be. _

"_I am afraid I am about to lose myself h-here…" she said, while she was trembling in fear. The fear of losing herself and wallowing in the darkness for eternity._

_Within a few minutes, her vision started get blurry. A beam of light appeared shortly after. The light illuminated the entire area, thus extinguishing the darkness. _

"_Poor child, it pains me to see you in such dire straits," a mysterious, feminine voice said, showing sympathy to the girl, "Fear not, for I have come to lend you a hand! An innocent soul that is as pure as yours shall overcome inner struggles."_

_The mysterious figure, with the same voice, appeared in front of her and reached out her hand to the girl. The girl tried to move again and regain her vision to see the mysterious figure. But her exhaustion almost caused her pass out, thus seeing this mysterious figure was impossible for the girl. _

_However, she had enough strength to grab the hand of the mysterious figure. There were so many questions the girl wanted to ask, but she knew the time wasn't right. _

_The mysterious figure smiled at her and said: "Have faith in yourself, you have the strength to conquer any fear that lurks inside your heart. A great journey awaits you and many obstacles will come, but you do not have to face them alone. Your fate will intertwine with the fate of another person." _

_For some reason, she knew what the girl wanted to ask. _

_The girl was surprised about the fact that some of her questions were answered without even asking, but most of them were vague answers to her. Once again, her eyes widened at the thought of 'great journey' and 'intertwined fates'._

"_WAIT! Please, don't go yet!" she exclaimed. She felt a sudden wave of dizziness and a headache shortly after._

_The light that once extinguished the darkness became brighter and radiated the entire area, this large amount of light blinded her vision. To the human eye, it was merely a flash that only lasted for a few seconds. _

"!?"

Before she knew it, she woke up with a slight body jump and her eyes wide open. She looked around a little bit. Surprisingly, she was in the middle of a car ride to Domino City, sitting in the backseat of the car.

'Was it a dream? It felt so real.. I never had dreams like this before. I wonder what it means…' she thought.

"Did you sleep well, Anna?" A woman in the driver's seat asked, while driving. The woman was in her early 40s, her hair was brown with gray streaks and she had her hair in a low chignon bun. As for her eyes, they were brown.

"Uhm.. well, y-yes mother!" Anna replied quickly, with a shy smile. She didn't want to tell her mother about that strange dream. Anna knew her mother very well. She would worry about Anna so much that she forgets about her own well-being.

"Glad to hear that," the woman said and smiled, "We are about to start our new life in Domino City. We're almost there! Are you excited, honey?"

"Of course, mother!" She giggled, "Domino City seems nice, so I am looking forward to exploring it! I just wish dad could come with us.".

"I know, honey. He's in Egypt now, but I promise you that he will visit us anytime soon again!" Her mother replied, in a comforting way.

Anna nodded as a sign of acceptance. Her father was an archaeologist and she knew his job was his passion. He was a curious, adventurous man. Therefore, this job fitted him perfectly.

Anna grabbed her black, bow-accented satchel and opened it. Her satchel contained a phone, a wallet, two lip balms, her deck and her neck pendant that has a shape of a crystal heart. For some reason, the pendant started to glow a little.

'It's my pendant! This never happened before!' she thought, with a concerned look on her face. However, she was curious about it. Without hesitating, she grabbed her neck pendant and puts it on.

Anna looked out the window, while touching her pendant. Clearly, she was pondering about her pendant and the mysterious phenomenon in her dream.

But eventually, she tried to enjoy her car ride and dwell on positive thoughts of what her plans are when she arrives in Domino City.

Anna took her deck out of her satchel, showing her favorite card on top of her deck: Soul of Purity and Light. Her father gave her this card as a present, which is why she had an emotional attachment to Soul of Purity and Light.

'Dad.. I promise I will take good care of this card.'

After a while, she could see there were a lot of trees on the sides of the road. The road was long and straight, but the city was just ahead of her.

It wouldn't take long before she arrived in the city of Domino.

* * *

It's my first fanfiction, so.. please go easy on me! D:


	2. Chapter 2: A little peace and quiet

Hey everyone! Been working on the second chapter and well.. here it is! The second chapter.

The second chapter is a build-up chapter, so.. the third chapter will be more interesting! I promise.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own this plot, my OCs and the extra things that I added. No Yaoi or whatever. English dub names will be used.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The sky was clear and blue, with small clouds floating above the city of Domino. You could easily see the sun beaming and it was a great day to go outside. But like any other teenager, Yugi had to go to school.

The sun shined through the window of the school building. Yugi had his seat next to the window in the classroom, but his mind was somewhere else…

"Mr. Muto!" the teacher said, with his back facing the chalkboard, "Pay attention to today's lesson, please!"

"Huh?" Yugi replied. He snapped out of his daydreaming as he turned his head to the teacher. His daydreaming wasn't just a daydream, but he was having a memorial flashback of the ceremonial duel between him and Atem in Egypt.

Quite a few things changed in one year after Atem's departure, but nothing drastic. For instance, Tristan started dating Joey's sister, Serenity. At first, Joey was angry in a protective way, but he knew Tristan would take good care of his sister. As for Joey himself, his mother and Serenity moved to Domino city again, allowing them to be together as a real family once again.

Tea followed her heart and pursued her dream of becoming a professional dancer. And so, she did an audition at the dance academy, which she succeeded. She was allowed to attend the dance academy, next year.

As for Yugi, he gained more confidence and he was taller. He was no longer 'the pipsqueek'. In fact, he was almost as tall as Tristan and Joey. It was quite a big change, but Yugi liked it. He was still known as 'The king of Games'. However.. his title still caused lots of fangirls and fanboys to chase him, but his friends were always there to bail him out.

Even though he had his friends, it was still a little tough for Yugi to move on without Atem, but Yugi knew he was stronger and he no longer needed Atem to protect him. He knew it was never easy to say goodbye to his close friend whom he shared his body and his thoughts with for the past few years, but it was better that way.

"Hey Yuge," Joey said and was about to ask him something, having his seat in front of Yugi's seat as he slightly turned to his best friend, "You've been dozin' off like that for a while, pal!"

"Yeah man, what's going on?" Tristan asked, as he agrees with Joey.

"It's nothing! I was just thinking, that's all." Yugi answered, he didn't want his friends to worry about him.

"Huh? Alright then. If ya say so, buddy." Joey said, while having a suspicious look on his face. He was about to turn around, when suddenly...

"MR. WHEELER! Be quiet for once," the angry teacher shouted as he slammed the ruler on Joey's table, "or you will get detention!"

"WHOAAAA! Say what!?" Joey exclaimed, obviously freaking out.

"Delinquents like you are despicable! So, I'll keep an eye on YOU." The teacher replied as he glares at Joey. He then turned around and headed towards the chalkboard to continue his lecture.

"Way to keep things quiet, Joey!" Tea sarcastically said.

Yugi sweat dropped and laughed. He was fortunate to have friends like Tea, Joey and Tristan to cheer him up. Even when everything went back to normal again, his day was never dull and there was always time for laughter.

Yugi was dwelling on his thoughts again as he looked out the window,

'Well.. pharaoh, whatever you're doing, I'm glad you're having your peace and quiet now. After everything we've been through, I think it counts for our friends and both of us.'

30 minutes were passing by as the teacher gives a lecture on English. Tea was taking notes and Joey was sleeping again, while Tristan did several attempts to wake him up. Shortly after, everyone in the classroom opened their textbooks and began to study.

For quite a long time, there was silence. Utter silence.. until the lessons were over.

"Attention, please! The class will be dismissed in five minutes," the teacher said as he continues to make an announcement, "Tomorrow, we will be getting a new transfer student, I want you to be on your best behavior."

The sound of moving chairs rose as the school bell rang: school's over.

"I'M STARVING!" Joey exclaimed, "Let's go grab something to eat!"

"It's chow time!" Tristan said as he went along with Joey, the rest of the gang followed shortly after. Yugi and his friends walked through the halls of the school building while making their way to the exit.

'Yugi…' a strong voice said, calling out to him in his mind.

Yugi let out a gasp at the voice. He stopped walking as he looked around. Unfortunately, there was no-one except Yugi and his friends. The gang stood still and they turned to Yugi.

"Hey Yuge, what are you doin'? Let's go!" Joey said.

"Did you guys hear that?" Yugi silently asked the gang.

"Hear what?" Tea asked, wondering what Yugi was hearing.

"I thought I heard someone calling out to me." Yugi answered as he was worried.

"I don't hear anything, except my stomach that's growlin' for food!" Joey said.

"It's probably nothing, Yugi." Tristan said.

"I guess you're right, Tristan." Yugi replied as he was catching up with his friends. For some reason, he felt slightly uneasy about it, but he was willing to find out who was calling out to him.

A few minutes passed as Yugi and his friends were walking through the busy streets of Domino city. While they were walking, they were talking about the new transfer student.

"I sure hope the new student will be a girl!" Tea said.

"Well.. Tea, you did say you need a female friend," Yugi said as he was smiling, "And it wouldn't hurt to have another friend!"

"Yeah! And if Duke would stick around, he would give her his number. Just like he did with Serenity!" Tristan said as he was getting a little jealous. However, he knew Serenity would never leave his side and Serenity knew he cared about her.

"You better take good care of my sister, or you get a trip to the hospital!" Joey scowled, protecting his sister as usual and grabbing Tristan by the collar of his shirt.

"Joey, calm down!" Yugi said as he sighed.

Eventually, Tea would step in to scold Joey as he stopped grabbing Tristan.

The streets were crowded, but it wasn't as occupied as it was when the Battle City tournament occurred. Some new stores opened and a few restaurants were taken over by different owners, but nothing major was happening.

They were about to enter a fast food restaurant, when someone suddenly called out to Yugi.

"Hey Yugi! Is that you?"

The gang turned around to see whose voice it was. It was a voice that came from a boy with long, ebony hair who was waving as he ran towards Yugi and his friends.

"Wait a second..." Tristan said, as he was about to say something.

"Is that…?" Tea asked.


	3. Kaiba's admittance of defeat (PART 1)

Hello! Here's the third chapter. It's a bit longer than the previous one! So, enjoy. : O

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own this plot, my OCs and the extra things that I added. No Yaoi or whatever. English dub names will be used.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Kaiba's admittance of Defeat (Part 1)**

"It's Mokuba!" Yugi exclaimed as he was quite happy to see Mokuba again.

Yugi and his friends were greeting him. Mokuba was panting and catching his breath, he was happy to see them. They all went inside the fast food restaurant to have their lunch and to continue their conversation as they glanced around.

The floor tiles were matte and they had two colors: Black and white. The walls had a deep red colour as they were decorated with advertisement and posters. Furthermore, there were red chairs and white rectangular tables. Surprisingly, it was impossible to see any dirty stains or spots. Clearly, the restaurant was well-maintained.

The place was crowded. Almost every seat was taken, but they were lucky. There were a few seats next to window and pretty close to the entrance of the restaurant. Everyone sat down as they ordered milkshakes, fries and hamburgers. After a while, they began their conversation.

"How have you been, Mokuba?" Tea asked as she looked at Mokuba. When she took a sip from her milkshake, she noticed something about Mokuba; he was different for some reason.

'Something's not right!' She thought.

And because of that, Tea decided to look closely at his features and the way he was behaving. His haircut was still the same, but he was slightly taller. It seemed like Mokuba matured a little.

As for his behaviour: he was less naïve, but still as kind-hearted as before. Tea knew he was devoted to his brother Seto as always.

However, it was something else that made him different: he seemed awfully bothered by something, as if he carried a great burden.

"I've been helping out Seto, actually." Mokuba said, while trying to put a smile on his face, "He's still maintaining Kaiba Land, but he has been organizing a new tournament!"

"A new tournament?" Yugi asked, clearly being curious about it.

"Yeah! The tournament will be hosted by my big brother again, but it won't be in Kaiba Land nor Domino City." Mokuba said as he continued, "This tournament also involves top ranked duellists from all over the world! But this time, you have to do it in a tag team match."

"I see…" Yugi said, as he was about to ask Mokuba something again, "Can you tell us more, Mokuba?"

"Sorry, but you'll have to find out!" Mokuba answered, "You see, Seto invited you guys to participate."

"Alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight! Jumpin' Joey Wheeler is gonna kick some butt!" Joey exclaimed as he fist pumped the air, implying that he's joining the tournament.

"…And rely on luck again?" Tristan asked as he heard Joey grumble.

"So, what about you, Yugi?" Tristan asked as he was facing Yugi.

"Hmm..." Yugi answered, "I was thinking about joining the tournament, but I'm not sure. Grandpa needs help around the shop."

Yugi was sinking in his thoughts again, as he was mainly concerned about his grandfather Solomon Muto.

'Grandpa has been feeling weak, lately, He would always let me participate. But I can't leave him like this, not when he has fallen ill...' He thought, having a troubled look on his face.

He then snapped out of his thoughts as he paid attention to Mokuba and the gang again. Luckily, he didn't miss anything and Joey was about to say something.

"Is Rich Boy gonna join the tournament or chicken out?" Joey asked as he turned to Mokuba. But.. Mokuba didn't look happy.

"JOOOEEYY!" Tea shouted as she glared at Joey. She scolded him and slaps the back of his head.

"OUCH! What was that for, Tea?" Joey complained as he rubbed the back of his head.

Normally, Mokuba would step in and tell Joey that he's no match for Kaiba. But shockingly, you could see Mokuba lower his gaze and hear him sighing.

"Actually, my big brother is not gonna join this tournament." Mokuba said as his face suddenly transitioned to a more serious, but sad expression.

Yugi let out a gasp as the rest of the gang was left dumbstruck, he knew something serious was going on and he was about to find out what it was.

"But why?" Yugi asked as he frowned.

Mokuba sighed even more as he was looking down. Yugi had a concerned look on his face as he looked at his friends. Yugi knew the feeling that Mokuba was experiencing, it was a feeling that he had when a friend was in trouble. He and his friends gave each other a nod. As if they knew what to do next.

"Don't worry, Mokuba." Yugi said as he tried to cheer up Mokuba, "We'll do anything to help you, so tell us."

Mokuba was strongly concerned about his brother. Therefore, he was willing to ask Yugi for help. After all, Yugi helped him out several times. So, Mokuba could always count on Yugi. He took a deep breath, before he started telling Yugi about what was going on.

"Do you still remember that duel between you and the Pharaoh?" Mokuba asked.

Yugi looked a little sad, but he nodded.

"Of course, how could I ever forget about that…" Yugi answered. Of course, he remembered everything as if it happened yesterday.

"Yeah," Mokuba replied as he continued, "Seto said you were able to defeat all three Egyptian god cards, so.. he finally accepted you as the King of Games, Yugi. But, that's not all…"

He was reaching in his pocket to pull out three cards.. three important cards. it was to prove that something happened to his big brother. As Mokuba was taking these cards out of his pocket, he was holding up all three of them and revealing them to Yugi and the others.

As Mokuba revealed the card, everyone was left dumbstruck again.

"That's Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Yugi exclaimed as he let out a gasp. Mokuba nodded at his reaction.

"Not just one, I see three of them!" Tristan said, still being surprised like before.

"I don't get it, why is Rich Boy givin' away his most powerful cards?" Joey asked. Clearly, he was clueless and confused about it.

"My big brother is not giving away his cards, you nimrod!" Mokuba answered, "He wanted me to hold on to them and there's a reason why he wanted that!"

Mokuba cleared his throat as he started telling Yugi and his friends about the things that occurred, "You see… it happened after we left Egypt."

* * *

**Flashback**

Mokuba: "It happened after we left Egypt, Seto and I returned home after we dropped you guys off at the airport. To tell you the truth, Seto hadn't said a single word to me that day.

It seemed like he accepted you, Yugi. But he had a bitter look on his face, for some reason. I think Seto wanted to forget everything that happened on that day.

I also remember Seto working on a newly, improved Duel Disk. He almost finished it, but he delayed it. Instead, he wanted me to test his newly, improved Duel Disk.

But as months passed, Seto slowly neglected his title as a duelist. I once tried to confront him about this, but he said he had some things to take care of. Kaibacorp-related business, that is."

~Flashback starts here~

_At night, the skies were clear and the moon was visible outside. In the office of Kaiba Corp, Kaiba worked on his computer. Clearly, he was occupied and was busy working on some new projects. He had a slight headache as he was rubbing his temples._

"_Roland, I need you to reschedule the meetings of Monday and Tuesday." Kaiba ordered as he turned his head back to his computer again._

"_Yes, ." Roland replied as he was standing next to the CEO, "Anything else?"_

"_Yes." Kaiba answered as he grumbled, "Get me an aspirin."_

"_I will be back shortly, Mr. Kaiba." Roland said as he exited the office to execute his tasks._

_Kaiba let out a deep sigh. A few seconds after Roland left, someone else entered Kaiba's office. Kaiba quickly glanced at the door opening. _

_Surprisingly, it was Mokuba who stood at the door opening._

"_Mokuba, it's late." Kaiba said, "Go to bed now."_

"_Same goes for you! I think you need to call it a night." Mokuba replied as he had a serious look on his face, "Before I go, there is something I need to talk about, big brother."_

_Kaiba had a stern look on his face, but then he sighed and looked at his younger brother._

"_Close the door." Kaiba said as he only turns off the screen of the computer._

_Mokuba closed the door as he walked towards his brother, now standing and facing Kaiba. _

"_Ever since that day, you haven't touched your deck at all." Mokuba said with a concerned look on his face, obviously referring to the day of the ceremonial duel, "Honestly.. I'm worried, Seto."_

_Kaiba knew what Mokuba was talking about. However, he still refused to talk about it. _

"_Mokuba, I told you before," Kaiba replied coldly as he clasped his hands, "I have to run Kaibacorp fulltime, so I can't waste any more time than I already have!"_

_Obviously, Mokuba heard that excuse before. Sure.. he was always loyal and eternally devoted his brother, but this excuse made him upset. _

"_I DON'T BELIEVE YOU, BIG BROTHER!" Mokuba shouted as he clenched his fist out of anger, "It's not like you to stop duelling all of sudden! You haven't been acting like yourself EITHER." _

_Right now, it didn't matter whether Mokuba was harsh on his brother or not. For all he knew, he couldn't wait any longer and so.. he had to speak his heart. _

"_Enough, Mokuba!" Kaiba exclaimed as he let out a deep sigh. To Kaiba, it was definitely a surprise to see Mokuba like this. _

"_There's definitely something YOU haven't told me about." Mokuba said as he demanded an explanation from Kaiba, "Sorry, big brother. But, I waited long enough. I need an answer!"_

"_Figures." Kaiba said as his face suddenly softened, "Sit down, Mokuba." _

"_Huh?" Mokuba replied as his eyes widened, "Seto, are you gonna…?"_

~FLASHBACK CONTINUES IN NEXT CHAPTER~

* * *

**I apologize for cutting it in the middle of a flashback, ****I have some new ideas for the next chapter. So, forgive me!**

**Well.. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time! :)**


	4. Kaiba's admittance of defeat (PART 2)

Alright, here's chapter 4. Sorry to keep you guys waiting! And uhm.. there will be some 'duelling' in later chapters and HOPEFULLY some new characters that fits with the story. I got some new ideas too. :)

And uhm.. sorry if it goes slow and lame. Despite that, I hope you'll enjoy it! :P 

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own this plot, my OCs and the extra things that I added. No Yaoi or whatever. English dub names will be used.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Kaiba's admittance of defeat (PART TWO)**

_~Flashback from previous chapter~_

"_Huh?" Mokuba replied as his eyes widened, "Seto, are you gonna…?"_

"_Yes." Kaiba answered calmly, "Now, sit down before I change my mind."_

_Mokuba grabbed a chair as he placed it in front of Kaiba's desk. It was the same spot where he was standing. He then sat down as Kaiba told him to._

_Kaiba let out a deep sigh, he then opened his desk drawers as he was reaching out for something: his powerful Blue-Eyes White Dragons. After that, he placed the three cards on the desk in front of Mokuba._

"_It's your Blue-Eyes White Dragon! You always had it in your deck." Mokuba said as he looked at the three cards._

"_Very perceptive, Mokuba." Kaiba said as he got out of his chair and walked towards the window, "For years, I aimed to become the world's greatest duellist. I even duelled Yugi several times in order to achieve my goal."_

_Mokuba looked at his brother. He then looked at Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He knew he saw those three cards a countless times already. But, why would Kaiba show his Blue-Eyes White Dragon now? What was he implying? What in the world was going on? Mokuba had to ask him._

_"Your Blue-Eyes White Dragon is definitely your favourite, but why are you showing it again, big brother?" Mokuba asked as he was wondering._

_"Because, I need you to hold on to my Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Kaiba answered as he turned around to face Mokuba._

_Mokuba widened his eyes as he let out a gasp. Slowly, he lowered his gaze. He trembled as he clenched his fist again. "..."_

_For a while, there was silence. Deadly silence. But, after a few seconds..._

_"THAT'S A LIE! You would never let anyone take your Blue-Eyes!" Mokuba shouted as he refuses to believe it. He seemed upset. The Seto that he knew would never part with his Blue-Eyes. Did his brother change? And if he did, was it for the better? Or worse...?_

_"Mokuba, did I lie ever to you?" Kaiba replied coldly, "Yugi is the world's strongest duellist! There's no reason for me to duel now."_

_Mokuba was left dumbstruck. Of course.. he knew the rivalry between Kaiba and Yugi, but it was the first time that he saw his brother like this._

"_What are you saying, big brother?" Mokuba said, "When you lost your duel against Yugi during the Battle City finals, you were still powerf-"_

"_Save it, Mokuba." Kaiba said as he was agitated. He knew Mokuba wanted to help. However, Kaiba gestured him not to. "I'm weak now."_

"_Seto…" Mokuba said as he was saddened, "You can't stop duelling!"_

"_I didn't say anything about quitting, Mokuba." Kaiba replied, "I'm taking a break."_

_Once again, Mokuba widened his eyes as he was confused, "I don't understand this, big brother…"_

"_You don't have to understand this now, Mokuba. Do me a favour and hold on to my Blue-Eyes until then." Kaiba answered calmly._

~End of flashback~

* * *

"And that's when Seto finally realized his motives are completely different now, so he knew challenging you again is pointless." Mokuba said as he looked at Yugi. 

Yugi had a serious expression on his face. He knew Kaiba admitted to the fact that Yugi is the 'true King of Games'. However, it was unlike Kaiba to truthfully confess that his motives changed and suddenly admit that he was weak. Did Kaiba have a sudden of change of heart? Or was there something else going on? Frankly, it didn't make sense. And so, Yugi suspected something. 

"That's weird, I've never seen Kaiba like that before..." Yugi said as he was speculating, "Did he say anything else?" 

Mokuba slowly shaked his head, "That's all I know, Yugi." 

"Poor Mokuba..." Tea said as she was pitying the younger Kaiba. She comforted Mokuba by putting her hand on his shoulder. 

"Yeah," Joey said as he had a straight face, "I didn't see that one comin'." 

"Serves him right." Tristan retorted as he didn't really feel sorry for Kaiba. 

The gang looked at Tristan as they were somewhat puzzled. 

"All this time, Kaiba has been acting like a real jerk to us. Why do we even help the guy?" Tristan continued, just to finish his sentence. 

Of course, Yugi understood Tristan. He couldn't blame Tristan for being sceptical about Kaiba. In the past, Kaiba had a grudge against Yugi. Furthermore, he was always power-hungry and strongly determined to defeat Yugi. Despite everything, Yugi still considered Kaiba as a friend. 

"Tristan," Yugi said as he continues to answer Tristan, "Kaiba helped us out too. Deep down, he knows it. If it weren't for his help, the world would still be in danger. And I wouldn't be the duellist that I am today." 

"He's got a good point there, Tristan." Joey said, agreeing with Yugi, "Besides, we're good guys! We need to show Rich boy what the 'heart of the cards' is all about, right Yuge?" 

Yugi nodded, "Kaiba lost the strength to duel, because he duelled for the wrong reasons." 

"I'm just being honest!" Tristan answered as he continued, "And Mokuba said Kaiba is not gonna join the tournament, how are you gonna do that?" 

A smile appeared on Mokuba's face; he no longer felt the burden that he had before. And so.. he felt the need to show gratitude for Yugi and the gang. 

"You guys don't have to worry about that, I'll make sure Seto will be there to watch the duels." Mokuba said.

* * *

Minutes were passing by as more people exited the restaurant. As those footsteps fade away, everything went quiet. Yugi and the gang were still there and it was clear that Mokuba wanted Yugi to join the tournament. Yugi wanted to, but he was still unsure about it. 

Yugi shook his head and let out a sigh, "I'm worried about grandpa." 

"Whaddya mean? Gramps can take care of himself, right?" Joey replied as he raised an eyebrow. 

Everyone went silent for a few seconds. Shortly after, the gang shook their head as Joey scratched his head. Clearly, he was confused. And so, he needed an explanation. 

"Did you forget about what Yugi told us, Joey?" Tristan asked as he was butting in. He knew Joey was clueless as always. 

"Heh, of course not!" Joey answered as he was somewhat clueless, "Errrr.. I forgot." 

Tea sighed and she felt bad for Yugi, "Yugi's grandpa is sick and it's been like that for a week now." 

"Wha, really?!" Joey replied as he was perplexed, "Maaaan! Sorry Yuge." 

"It's fine, Joey." Yugi said as he had a neutral expression on his face, "It's a fever. But.. as long as someone stays with him, he'll be good in no time." 

Tea had her hand cupped on her face, while she tried to think of any ideas that could help Yugi. And then.. something popped up in her mind. 

"Hey, I know something!" Tea said in a suggestive way, "How about this? I'll stay at your place to look after your grandpa, while you attend the tournament." 

And then, Yugi turned his head to Tea as his eyes widened a little. "Are you sure?" 

"Of course! They need you at the tournament." Tea answered, having an encouraging look on her face. 

He had a slight look of concern on his face. He then nodded, followed by a smile on his face, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Tea." 

Knowing that Tea looks after Solomon, Yugi felt relief. And so, he turned to Mokuba. "Mokuba, you can count me in!" 

"What about Jumpin' Joey Wheeler? I'll be joinin' the tournament too!" Joey said as he had a huge grin on his face. At the same time, he pointed to himself with his thumb. 

"Thanks guys!" Mokuba replied. Now he knew Yugi participates, and that caused him to grin cheerfully, "I'll make sure Seto watches those duels!" 

Mokuba pulls out his PDA from his pocket and checked his PDA. "I need to leave now. Seto needs me, so he's waiting!" 

He then got out of his seat and stood in front of Yugi and the gang. "The invitations are sent to your homes, along with a rulebook. See you later, guys!" 

Yugi quickly glanced at the table. The cards are on the table and they were in front of him, so.. he gasped a little. 

"Mokuba, wait. Kaiba's Blue-Eyes!" Yugi shouted, hoping that Mokuba could hear him. But it was too late, the door behind Mokuba closed and so.. he went. 

"He forgot those cards..." Tristan said as he was flustered. 

"He'll come back for them, right Yuge?" Joey asked. 

"Yeah." Yugi answered as he seemed to be in a thinking state, once again. 

'A tournament that only involves tag team matches.. I did tag duels with Kaiba and Joey, but that was a long time ago. Back then, Atem was still there...' Yugi thought as he let out a sigh, 'It'll be my first time doing a tournament without him and it won't be the same...' 

And then.. he shook his head, 'No, I can't think like that! If Atem would be here now, he would tell me to believe in myself.' 

'That's right.' A strong voice in his mind said, once again. 

"?!"

* * *

And that's it for now. This chapter was a bit longer than the last one, I think :P? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm gonna work on the next chapter ASAP.  
Until next time! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, here's chapter 5! Hope you didn't wait too long, hehe. I had a major writers block, but I continued writing anyway. I've been working on my OCS too, regarding background information and such. Still working on them, though.

Go easy on me please, it's my first fanfiction and I'm trying my best! Hehe. :P

Anywayyyyyyy, enjoy! Annnnddd! Thank you for reading my fanfic, I really appreciate it. :) 

* * *

****

Chapter 5  
**  
**  
Yugi gasped as he widened his eyes. He quickly glanced around as he was flustered. He checked all corners, seats and the counter in the restaurant. There were no signs of suspicion, only waitresses walking around and a few people dining peacefully. But surely, it was that voice from earlier again, the one that called out to Yugi every now and then.

'It can't be him, can it? He crossed over to the Afterlife a long time ago! So, how is it possible? And why is it happening now?" He thought.

"Yugi?" Tristan said as he was waving his hand in front of his face. "Are you alright man?"

Yugi snapped out of it, right on time. He realized he was thinking an awful lot, but he couldn't help it; it was too worrisome. However, he still didn't want his friends to worry about him. Yugi noticed his friends looking at him with deep concern; he knew he caused them enough trouble for the past few years.

Yugi turned to his friends once again. Clearly, he was absent-minded. "Uh.. it's nothing! I was just thinking about the tournament."

Joey was slightly perplexed as he raised one eyebrow. It was the second time that Yugi dozed off, so.. he suspected something, "Ya know, Yuge. It's the second time you dozed off like that. You better tell me what's goin' on in that head of yours!"

Yugi let out a deep sigh and lowered his gaze. He was well-aware that he couldn't conceal the truth any longer, but.. for some reason, it wasn't the right time to tell them about his distress. "I'll tell you guys later."

He then felt a hand on his shoulder. As he looked up, he saw Tea who had her hand on his shoulder. She had a smile on her face; a comforting smile, to be exact. "Just so you know, we'll always be there for you no matter what."

"Yeah, we're your buds, Yuge!" Joey said.

Yugi looked at his friends and gave them a nod. "Thanks guys."

"So, how 'bout stayin' here a little longer? It's all on me!" Joey suggested as he was grinning.

"Actually, I need to head back to check on grandpa. Sorry Joey!" Yugi said, giving his friend an apologetic smile.

That was partially the truth, but Yugi had a slight feeling of guilt, especially when he had to leave his friends like that. The voice that beckoned him triggered Yugi's curiosity even more. Therefore, he had to go and find out.

"And Joey, you had 3 cheeseburgers!" Tea said as she was sighing, "Wasn't that enough for you?"

Tristian shook his head at Tea. "You know Joey, Tea. He's a real food fanatic."

Tea sighed again as she rolled her eyes. "Let's just hope that I don't have to pay the bill, like last time."

"No worries! I got my salary from my job, yesterday." Joey said as he kept on grinning, "Come on, just 10 minutes!"

"Yugi?" Tea asked as she looked at the tri-coloured teen, "I still have some time left before I go home, what about you?"

The tri-coloured teen placed his hand on his chin, while he was thinking. And then.. he looked back at Tea. After that, he smiled. "Well.. on second thought, let's stay a little longer!"

So, the decision was made quickly; spending additional minutes with his best friends couldn't hurt.

Yugi thought about two things that happened today: the voice that started to beckon him. And last but not least, Kaiba who lost his will to duel. What in the world was going on? And so, he had a feeling that there was something strange and suspicious going on. And possibly, those 10 minutes could only be the last few minutes of his peace and quiet.

* * *

Clouds moved swiftly and buildings passed by as the car drove through the city of Domino. Anna had her eyes closed, breathing steadily as she was having a short nap. She had her head positioned against the window as the rest of her slender body was slightly leaning towards the car door on right side of the back seat in the car. The speed of the car decreases as it reached the traffic lights.

Misako, Anna's mother, waited for the traffic lights to turn green as she was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.

"We're almost there." Misako muttered.

She then let out a small sigh and looked into the rear-view mirror as she saw her daughter sleeping peacefully.

'She must be tired, it has been a long day for both of us.' Misako thought as she smiled. 'But, Domino city is a better place for Anna.'

It's true, Misako wanted what's best for Anna. Anna was also her 'little girl'. Misako loved Anna's father, Noboru. Obviously, that feeling was mutual for Noboru as well. Anna was their offspring, a symbol of their love, dedication and a reflection of everything they experienced in life. Misako sighed once again; she was reminiscing once again.

"My little girl," she said as she was smiling with pride. "I can't believe you're already becoming a young woman!"

And then, the traffic lights turned green. But.. she did not pay attention to the traffic, she was.. carried away, so to speak.

"HEY LADY! Step on it, will you?!" An angry driver yelled as he had his window partially open. And what's even worse, there were angry drivers behind her and they shamelessly honked like there's no tomorrow.

Yes, this startled her for a second. And without thinking, she stepped on the gas pedal to accelerate. And then.. she quickly makes a sharp right turn, causing Anna to fall sideways.

"Aghh..." Anna murmured as If her nap was abruptly interrupted. She opened her eyes as she gently rubbed them.

Anna slowly sat straight as she gently straightened her denim jacket. Of course.. she wore a black camisole with spaghetti straps under her jacket, so it was a good choice to bring the denim jacket with her. Furthermore, she brushed off her purple, layered skater skirt. Last but not least, she wore grey thigh-length socks with black bow-accented flats.

"Oh! You're awake, honey." Misako said happily, "Are you alright?"

"Uhm, y-yeah… I suppose I am." Anna said as she had an embarrassed smile, "…Mother? I heard something.. commotional. What was that?"

"What do you mean? Oh, my! Yes, it was a small accident." Misako replied as she smiled apologetically, "Don't worry about it, honey."

Anna looked at her mother with a great amount of curiosity in her eyes. But, her face transitioned into something more cheerful; a soft smile. "I just wondered, that's all."

And then.. before she knew it, the car stopped in front of a house. Anna wondered and decided to look out the window. She had a quick glance at the house. By the looks of it, the house had two floors. Furthermore, it was surrounded by concrete fence and at the entrance, there were front steps to the house. The exterior of the house looked quite modern, as if it was built not too long ago.

And then.. when Anna turned, she looked at her mother.

"Will we be living here from now on?" Anna asked, out of curiosity.

"Yes," Misako answered, "Our new house is pretty, isn't it?"

Anna nodded with a smile, but later changed into a more concerned look on her face. "It's different from our old house in Tokyo. Uhm! I m-mean.. uhm! U-uhm.. d-don't get me wrong though! I like it, but.. how were you able to afford this, mother?"

"Don't worry too much about the money, Anna." Misako answered calmly, "I saved enough money for our new life! You can have a better life here as well."

Suddenly, Anna had a shocked look on her face.

"You even.. did this… for me? Oh, mother…" Anna replied sadly and felt a sudden wave of guilt washing over her.

As Misako turned to look at Anna, she smiled in a comforting way at Anna. "Don't be so hard on yourself, you deserve it. Oh and.. you can get out of the car now, sweetie. You can look around the neighbourhood."

She slowly nodded as Misako was about to get out of the car.

Anna grabbed her bow-accented satchel as she stepped out of the car. She looked around and.. she noticed another house. A house that was next to her new house. However, this house looked more like a shop. On the front of the house, a name was written in big letters.

"Kame game..." Anna read as she curiously looked at the shop, "I wonder what they sell?" 

* * *

**Yup, that's about it for now! Gonna work on the next chapter too. So far, I enjoy writing fanfic. So I'll continue doing so! xD**


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, here's another chapter! But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it. I'm still fiddling around, when it comes to writing this fanfiction. But as said, it's my first fanfiction and I'm experimenting. So, please go easy on me!

That's all I want to say for now.

**Note:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Except my plot, my OCS and the extra things that I added.

* * *

****

Chapter 6

Yugi and his friends were on their way to Kame Game shop, where Yugi lives. Joey and Tristan were gibbering, the strong-accented blond had a huge grin on his face and rambled about winning the tournament. 

"Don't let it get to your head man!" Tristan said as he was warning Joey. 

"No worries! I got my good ol' Red-Eyes." Joey responded as he was holding his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card in his card. He grinned and as always, he was confident. A little too confident. 

"Joey, Tristan's right." Yugi said as he looked at Joey. "Underestimating your opponent might cost you a place in the tournament." 

Joey scratched the back of his head as he was slightly confused. "Whattaya mean? I gotta believe in the heart of the cards, right?" 

"That's right, Joey." Yugi said as he continued, "But remember, always reconsider your options." 

"Right, always reconsider my options." Joey said as he gladly accepted his friend's advice. 

Yugi nodded as they continued walking with the gang. 

They walked past a few shops and the crowd walked in the opposite direction. After a few minutes, they arrived in the area where Yugi's home was located and his home was only a few meters ahead. As they continued walking, they noticed a car stopping in front of a house that's next to Yugi's home. And so, they stopped to see what was going on. There was a woman in her early 40s stepped out of her red car and carried her belongings to the house. Then, a girl with dark waist-length hair and pale blue eyes stepped out of the car and was standing next to it. 

"Hey Yuge, you didn't tell me about gettin' a new neighbour." Joey said as he pointed in the direction of the red car that was parked in front of a house that was next to Yugi's. 

Yugi curiously looked at where his friend pointed. 

The girl that stood next to the car seemed distant. Furthermore, it looked like she was looking around. She glanced at Yugi and his friends, but mostly Yugi. His spiky hair, blond locks and a blond fringe were noticeable and familiar. And so, she had a curious look on her face. However, it didn't take long for her to realize she was looking at the 'King of Games'. By the time she realized it, her facial expression changed; she had a surprised look on her face. The 'King of Games' was just a few meters away from her and that startled her. Especially, when he was looking at her with his amethyst eyes. She gasped as her face was flushing and because of that.. she accidently dropped her satchel, but quickly picked it up. After that, she shyly turned around to grab the additional boxes from the car. 

'Hmm.. I've seen her somewhere before, but where?' Yugi thought as he had a wondering expression on his face. 

"Errr.. Yuge?" Joey asked as he was waiting for a response. 

"Uh.. sorry, Joey. " Yugi replied as he stopped looking at the girl. He then turned to his friends again. "I heard some rumors, but I'm not sure. " 

"Either way, ya got yourself a new neighbour, Yuge." Joey said. 

"Hmhm." Yugi responded as he looked at his friends. "We should go and check on grandpa now." 

"Well.. what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tristan said. 

Yugi and his friends continued to walk to his home. It didn't take long before they arrived at Yugi's home. It was only a few big steps forward and after those steps.. they were there. Right in front of the door. 

As Yugi opened the door, he and his friends entered and it was closing behind them. 

* * *

The car trunk of Misako's red car was left open and Anna was standing in front of it. She reached out to some small boxes that contained personal belongings. While she reached out to them, she had a surprised look on her face. 

'That can't be right, can it?' Anna thought as her face was flushing of embarrassment. 'Was that.. Yugi Muto, the King of Games?' 

Anna carried out the small boxes and closed the car trunk. As she turned around, her back was facing the car trunk. Her face was still flushing like before, it was a sign of complete embarrassment. She held those boxes close to her and slightly turned to see if Yugi and the others were still there. 

"They're gone…" Anna muttered as she looked in the direction where they were standing. 

Before she went to her new home, she looked at Kame game shop one last time. But then, she shook her head. "I should be heading back now." 

As Anna made her way to her new home, she was deep in thoughts. She didn't think she would meet the King of Games in person like this. And frankly, she never thought about meeting Yugi Muto in person. After all, he's got his own life to live and Anna had hers. Even though she assumed Yugi Muto was like any normal person, she was still feeling embarrassed. Was it because of the 'King of Games' himself? Or the fact that someone was staring at her for quite a long time? It was most likely the second option. Anna felt uncomfortable with people staring at her. She was afraid of making mistakes in front of people, hence the discomfort. But also, she feared of people disliking her. That probably sounded ridiculous, but those were her feelings. And those feelings were undeniable and impossible to ignore. 

'I really hope Domino city will be different.' Anna thought. She grew even more concerned as she took a few steps further. 'If mother says it's a good place for us to settle down, I believe her.' 

* * *

"Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi shouted as he entered the shop with his friends. Surprisingly, they saw Solomon standing behind the counter. 

"Ah, welcome home, my boy." Grandpa responded. Even though he still had a fever, he managed to stand steady. But then.. he started to cough again. And all of sudden, he felt weak. 

"Grandpa, you should be resting!" Yugi said as he grew concerned. 

His grandfather was still ill and he was in no condition to work. And so, Yugi walked towards his grandfather and tried to help his grandfather by escorting him to his room. While Tea, Tristan and Joey were closing down the shop, since it was already evening. A few minutes after Yugi brought his grandfather back to his bedroom, Yugi decided to stay with him for a while. And so.. his friends were sitting in the living room and they were waiting for Yugi to join them again. 

"What's taking so long?" Tea asked. 

"Relax, Tea." Tristan replied. "I'm sure everything is just fine." 

"There's our pal." Joey said as he noticed Yugi entering the living room. As he entered the living room, he carried a package with him. 

"How did it go with gramps?" Tristan asked as he turned to Yugi. 

"His fever won't go down." Yugi answered as he sighed. He then sat down with the package on his lap. "I think it's best to leave him resting in his room for now." 

"What's in that package, Yuge?" Joey asked as he was looking at the package on Yugi's lap. 

"Well.. we're about to find out." Yugi answered and he started to open the package. His friends were looking and they were curious about what was inside. As the package was open, Yugi saw an envelope and a rulebook. 

"The tournament." Yugi muttered. He took the envelope out and opened it. 

"It's the invitation that Mokuba talked about! That means you got the same package like Yugi has, Joey." Tea said as she looked at Joey. 

"Yeah, but knowin' Rich boy..." Joey grumbled. 

"Alright, let's hear what's in that letter." Tristan butted in. 

Yugi nodded as started reading his invitation. "_Dear Yugi Muto…_" 

* * *

**That's about it! At least, for now. Writers block FTL, but I'll continue writing this fanfiction. NO MATTER WHAT!  
Anyway, until next time! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! Here's another chapter to read : D. Sorry to keep you guys waiting, lol. Just so you know, THIS is my first fanfiction and I'm still experimenting. :P  
Again, thank you for reading my fanfiction. Alright, let's move on to the story!

**Note:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Only my plot and the OCs in this story. Oh, and the extra stuff that I added. Also, NO YAOI. 

* * *

Chapter 7 

The living room was surrounded by silence. Nothing more, except the sound of rustling paper. Yugi's friends waited in suspense; they all wondered about what's inside the letter. But luckily, the suspense stopped. Yugi opened the envelope and he started reading the letter as his friends were listening to him attentively. "Dear Yugi Muto…" 

_**Dear Yugi Muto,**_

_**We would like to invite you to attend the World Tag Team Championship, the tournament will take place in Sapporo city, Japan on 13 January at 10:00 pm. This tournament will be hosted by Seto Kaiba once again. As you are one of our top-ranked duellists, It is a great honour to have you as our participant.**_

"Sapporo city, huh." Tristan commented. He placed his hand on his chin as if he was thinking. 

_**It will be our first time involving tag team matches, we believe it is the ultimate challenge for our participants to test their combined skills and to prove they're worthy of receiving a new title. We sincerely hope your presence will be essential to the success of this event.**_

_**The tournament will be held at the Sapporo dome in Sapporo city, Hokkaido in Japan. Therefore, we need you to be present at the Domino pier on 12 January at 01:00 pm. Since this event will last for one week, any travel-related expenses will be our responsibility. That includes hotel reservations and your boarding ticket to Sapporo. We have included your boarding ticket in this letter, it allows you to board the KC Cruise Line.**_

_**We look forward to seeing you in Sapporo!**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Seto Kaiba**_

_**CEO of KaibaCorp.**_

Yugi placed the letter in the package again. He realized something.. and so, he frowned as he was dwelling on his thoughts. 'All this time, it was either facing bad guys or putting my friends in danger. That even happened during the Grand Championship!' 

"Hey Yuge." Joey said as he looked at his friend. "You're gonna join the tournament, right?" 

Yugi nodded as he looked slightly worried. "I'm going to help out Mokuba. But hopefully, I can duel without having to worry about someone trying to take over the world." 

"It's been a year since an evil nutcase tried to take over the world." Tristan said. "So, I'm pretty sure there's nothing going on." 

Yugi wanted to believe Tristan. But after everything that happened, Yugi could hardly forget about that. He always assumed there was someone or something hindering his peace and quiet. However, he knew Tristan was right. What could possibly happen now? So.. eventually, he gave in and had a weak smile on his face. "Yeah, I guess you're right." 

"So, where is Sapporo city?" Tristan asked. He grabbed the letter and looked at it. "Hm.. Hokkaido? It sure sounds far away if you ask me." 

"You do know you're talking about Hokkaido, right?" Tea replied as she was pointing out. "Out of all the 4 islands of Japan, that one is located in the north." 

"Yeah.. knowin' Rich boy, he probably planned somethin' big." Joey said as he soon felt confident. "But, they talked about tag team matches. And since I'm gonna team up with Yugi, we got nothin' to be afraid of, right?" 

"That's true, but.. the tournament will start in a few weeks and I think we should prepare for whatever comes in our way." Yugi answered as he seemed to have a determined look on his face. "I know that whatever lies ahead of us is going to be different." 

And so, he was convinced about the fact that the tournament wouldn't be like any other tournaments. However, it was to help out Mokuba and.. 

To defend the title that he and Atem hold. 

* * *

Later that night in Solomon's room… 

"Is there anything else you need, grandpa?" Yugi asked as he was standing next to the bed where Solomon is lying on. He then placed a glass of water and an aspirin on the nightstand. 

"No, it's fine." His grandfather replied. 

Solomon was lying comfortably on his bed as he saw Yugi looking strongly concerned. He gave his grandson a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me." 

Yugi sighed as he sat down on the bed. "How can't I, gramps? Now that I have another tournament to attend to, I'll be away for a week. Tea even insisted on looking after you, but I'm supposed to be the one doing that! It's my responsibility to protect the ones I care about and to take care of them! They've been through a lot of trouble already. And if anything happens to you and my friends, I can never forgive myself!" 

"Now, now, calm down, Yugi." Solomon calmly said. "Remember that they can take care of themselves." 

"Sorry grandpa. It's just that I feel somewhat responsible…" Yugi replied as he lowered his gaze and clenched his fist. "After everything that happened, it's the least I can do." 

His grandfather gave him another reassuring smile and tried to sit straight as he patted his shoulder. "You've grown a lot, my boy." 

"How so?" Yugi curiously asked. 

"You might not notice it yourself, but I most certainly do. And so does the Pharaoh. He left our world a long time ago, but I'm certain he's still watching you. " Solomon said as he explained. "Your independency and your sense of responsibility has grown immensely. I know that, because you're not an ordinary young lad. You're my grandson and I am very proud." 

Yugi felt calm once again as he gave his grandfather a smile. "I feel better now." 

"Good." Solomon said as he noticed how calm his grandson was. "Now, get some rest. You need it for school." 

"Right." Yugi replied as he nodded. He then stood up and walked towards the door. But before he exited Solomon's room, he turned around. "Goodnight grandpa." 

"Goodnight, my boy." Solomon said as he lied down once again. 

When Yugi exited the room, Solomon let out a deep sigh. He knew Yugi always cared about others. But lately, his grandson seemed rather anxious. Very anxious, so to speak. Perhaps, it was the tournament that made him anxious. But then again.. that would be impossible, since his grandson was an ace when it comes to games. Solomon cared deeply for his only grandson, but he had no idea what caused Yugi to feel such an amount of anxiety. 

"Perhaps, this will help him get rid of his anxiety." Solomon muttered as he partially opened the drawer of his nightstand. "Yugi will be happy, when he sees this. Ohoho!" 

Inside the drawer was an artifact. Not just a regular artifact, but a ancient golden artifact. 

It looked like an upside down pyramid with an eye on the front and a ring on the top. 

But clearly, it is.. 

The millennium puzzle. 

* * *

That's about it for now! I guess I'll continue with my fanfiction and see if it goes well, lol. But I won't quit, that's for sure. :)  
Anywayyyyyyyyyyy, until next time! And again, thanks for reading my fanfic. I reaaaaaaaally appreciate it :D.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** As usual, here's another chapter. Hope you didn't wait too long, lol. 

BTW, I'm well-aware about the fact that I'm just a newbie, compared to most of you guys on xD. But you know what? Scratch that. I'm here to share a story that has been lying around in the back of my mind, lol. And.. I want to execute this idea and see where it takes me. :D 

And you know, I'm surprised about the fact that you guys actually like reading my story, lol. It's pretty cool seeing you guys faving and following it. 

I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate this :). So yeah.. thank you so much for reading my story! Seriously, I mean it. :P 

I'll keep on writing for you guys. It's the least I can do for you. :) 

Alright, enough chitchatting! Let's move on to the story, shall we? 

_**Another note:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Only my OCs and the plot. Plus, the extra things that I added. Also, NO YAOI._

* * *

Somewhere.. in the Shadow Realm. 

A sinister feminine figure appeared and traversed as she had an important message to convey. She wore a dark grey cloak as her body only showed complete blackness. Except for her eyes, they were white and had a black outline around them. And as her eyes darted around, there were shadow creatures in different forms. Some of those creatures were 'blobs' and they were simply dark masses. The other creatures had several legs and they hungrily crawled around, waiting to be fed again. 

The sinister figure still traversed, exiting the Shadow Realm and.. she was moving downwards. 

Everything was covered in thick, dark fog. But as she moved forward, the fog started to disappear. there were dark slimy pools with purple steam coming out. Furthermore.. the ground was black, rocky and there were cracks everywhere. Skeletons were scattered all over the place and there were cages hanging on the ceiling. And then.. she was slowing down as she reached her destination. As she continued to move slowly, there were other figures wearing cloaks and they simply wore the same dark grey cloak she had. And then.. she stopped as she now stood in front of her ruler, a great deity of pure evil, who was sitting on a throne that was made of bone fragments. Its appearance remained unknown as it was hidden under a black cloak. Except for the eyes, they were yellow and the pupils were narrow. 

"Ah, Pandora. My most loyal servant. Do you have anything worth speaking of?" A distorted, monstrous voice asked as it let out a growl of annoyance. "If not, BEGONE! And do not waste my time." 

"I apologize for this interruption, Master." the sinister figure, whose name was Pandora, said as she knelt in front of her ruler. "But, I have something important to announce." 

Then.. the evil ruler narrowed its eyes and gestured her to continue. "Go on, Pandora." 

"The Dark One has returned from the world of memories once again." She said as she was still kneeling. "But, he did not complete his task. The Pharaoh has claimed his victory once again." 

Her ruler was roaring dreadfully, it was filled with pure anger and dissatisfaction. "Zorc.. defeated by.. a mere mortal!? Lock that incompetent fool away FOR ETERNITY!" 

"As you wish." Pandora replied obediently as she rose up. 

But then, the deity of evil called her. "Begin your search for the Millennium puzzle and execute stage 1 of my plan." 

"Yes." She replied as she bowed. "What about the boy, Master?" 

"Oh, Yugi Muto? Eliminate him…" It ordered as it let out an evil, wicked laugh. "Soon, the world will be shrouded in darkness once again!" 

* * *

The sun slowly rose as the light was beaming through the window of Yugi's room. The clock was still ticking and Yugi was still lying in his bed with his spiky hair sticking out. He was breathing steadily and everything else seemed silent. Until... 

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! 

Yes, a loud beeping sound woke him up and it came from his clock. Yugi groaned as he opened his eyes. He stretched out his arm and reached out for the clock, so he could turn it off. And after that, he sat straight and rubbed his eyes. 

"It's 7 in the morning." Yugi muttered as he was checking the time. "I guess it's time to get ready and head to school." 

A few minutes later... 

Yugi entered the kitchen and.. he had a surprised look on his face. He saw his grandfather sitting at the table. "...grandpa?" 

"Well.. goodmorning to you too, my boy." Solomon smiled and answered as he looked way healthier than before. "Sit down and have some breakfast." 

Yugi nodded and sat down as he was told to. He then grabbed a sandwich from his plate and took a bite from the sandwich. "You're up early, grandpa. How are you feeling now?" 

"Much better, ohoho!" Solomon said as he was about to ask something. "What time does your class start?" 

"Well.. usually at 9." Yugi answered as he swallowed a piece of his sandwich. He then had a wondering expression on his face. "Why do you ask, gramps?" 

"There Is something that you need to have, my boy." Solomon replied as he got out of his chair. 

"Okay." Yugi said as he watched his grandfather exiting the room. And obviously, he still wondered. But… 

Before he even had the chance to think about it, his phone goes off. 

"Why would someone call around this time?" Yugi wondered as he looked at his phone. And without hesitating, he answered the call. 

"Hello?" Yugi answered as he was holding the phone to his ear. 

"YUGI!" A familiar voice exclaimed on the phone. 

And… 

Surprisingly, it was Tea who called Yugi. For some reason, she sounded somewhat.. panicky. And frankly, Yugi was surprised. It was unusual for Tea to call around this time. His friend would normally come over to Yugi's house, and wait for him to come out, so they could walk to school together. But, something was wrong and Yugi was about to find out. 

"Tea! Something wrong?" Yugi asked as he had a serious look on his face. 

"We're in BIG TROUBLE!" She answered panicky on the phone. 

Then.. Yugi widened his eyes and gasped as he grew even more concerned. "Where are you!?" 

"WE'RE AT THE ENTRANCE OF SCHOOL!" Joey and Tristan yelled in the background as the phone signal got weaker by the minute. "..HUR..RY Y..UG..E!" 

"TEA! JOEY! TRISTAN!" Yugi yelled at the phone as he was tightening his grip on it. 

But.. it was too late, the signal was gone. And so, the phone call ended abruptly. Yugi was hoping that it was nothing major. But.. by the sound of it, something bad was definitely going on. He tried to dial Tea's phone number again, but unfortunately.. he could only hear her voicemail. And because of that, he clenched his fist. "My friends are in trouble…" 

Shortly after, Yugi quickly grabbed his schoolbag and rushed to his room. And when he entered his room, he opened the closet as he saw his travelling bag from the ceremonial duel in Egypt. As Yugi assumed he had to duel again, he opened the bag. He then took out his duel disk and equipped it. After that, he took out the deck that he and Atem assembled. And.. for a little while, Yugi looked at it. 

'It's been a while, since I used this deck. Well.. here goes.' Yugi thought as he placed the deck in his belt pouch. He then exited his room and headed downstairs where the game shop was. He was about to leave his home, when suddenly… 

"Yugi, are you going to school now?" Solomon asked. 

"Yeah... but, there's something that I have to do." Yugi answered as he stood in the door opening, with his back facing his grandfather. But then.. he turned around. "I'll be back soon." 

"Alright then." Solomon said as he walked towards his grandson. He looked at the boy for a few seconds and then.. he gave a pat on the shoulder. "Be careful out there." 

Yugi nodded as he went ahead. "I'll be fine, grandpa!" 

When Yugi started running, he realized there was no time to spare. And so, he fastened his pace as he was leaving the area where his house was located. As he quickly moved forward, even more houses were flashing by. But then.. from a distance, he suddenly heard lots of screaming. There were people running towards the direction where Yugi came from. And it seemed like they were fleeing and so.. Yugi looked around for a second just to check if there were any signs of suspicion. 

'What in the world is going on? I need to find out who's causing all of this!' Yugi thought as he was strongly concerned. But then.. he frowned. 

"I hope my friends are safe." Yugi muttered as he kept on sprinting. 

* * *

**Yep, I wanted to add more stuff in this chapter, but I've decided to end it here. It'll be in the next chapter, hehe. Oh! Just so you know, it'll be INTERESTING! I know it, because I feel MEGA inspired all of sudden! xD**

**Anyway, I'll continue writing the next chapter as usual.**

**Sooooo.. until next time!**

**Thank you so much for reading! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Hello! Here's another chapter for you. I posted this chapter earlier, because of Christmas. :P

I'm glad you guys like my story :D. It kind of motivates me to keep going, you know. So, I promise you that I'll continue till the end! Or something beyond, lol. Is that even possible? LOL. We'll see.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and liking my story! : D

Oh and.. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Hehe, I hope you're all having a great time. :)

**Another note: **I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Only my OCs, the plot and the extra things that I added. Also, NO YAOI.

* * *

Somewhere in the halls and corridors of Domino High…

"AAAAAAAHHH!" A random guy yelled as he stumbled and accidently fell to the ground. "RUUUUUUUUUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIVES!"

The school was heavily occupied and in disarray. Many people were panicking, screaming, pushing each other as they now hastily made their way to the exit. Anna was in the middle of it and she basically got squashed by the crowd. And because of that, she firmly held her schoolbag and looked around. She was flustered and had no idea what was going on.

"U-uhm.. e-excuse me!" Anna said as she gently tapped a shoulder of a random person. "I don't mean to be rude… but, can you tell me what's going on?"

"GO AWAY!" The person said as he shooed the girl away. And because of that, Anna jumped a little as she was slightly perplexed.

"No, wait! I just wanted to-" Anna replied as she was about to explain her intentions. But as soon as she tried to explain it, the person pushed her away as he already made his way to the exit and disappeared in the crowd. Therefore, it was too late.

After Anna got pushed away by the random person, she almost fell but managed to hold on to a wall. She let out a deep sigh as she was bummed about the whole situation. "I just wanted to ask him something…"

As Anna held on to the wall, she waited until the crowd got smaller. After that, she continued to walk towards the direction where the crowd was. But then.. all of sudden, she heard lots of noise that sounded somewhat monstrous and cryptic. And so, she decided to turn around. After that, she noticed an peculiar individual looking around and standing outside a classroom. And so, she continued looking into that direction. This individual was feminine and wore a grey cloak as her body was covered in pure blackness.

Then.. Anna gasped as her eyes widened, she was horrified.

She saw another student with dirty blond hair and dark brown eyes who's behind the sinister figure. He was holding a deck in his left hand. However, his left hand was shaking and he tried to prevent the sinister figure from moving by grabbing a piece of the grey cloak with his right hand, causing the individual to stop her movement. Also, the guy looked incredibly exhausted and he barely managed to stand steady.

"H..hey y-you! W-where do ya think you're goin'!?" The over-exhausted student with a Brooklyn accent shouted as he had a determined look in his eyes. "Jo..ey Wheeler.. n..never QUITS!"

He was still trying to stop the grey cloaked figure. But then.. the sinister figure narrowed her white, black outlined eyes and ruthlessly grabbed him by the throat, causing the student to choke and drop his cards, which were scattered on the ground.

"Still prolonging your defeat, aren't you?" Pandora said as she still grabbed his throat and held him up in mid-air. And then.. she was letting go of his throat, causing the strong accented guy to land on the ground. "Now.. as I'm growing impatient, let me repeat the question from earlier AGAIN. Where can I find Yugi Muto?"

Then.. the strong accented guy started coughing as he tried to stand steady again. Even though his over-exhaustion almost overwhelmed him, he changed into a fighting position. "G..get ..yo..ur filthy paws off MY PAL, you p..psycho!"

"Hmph, how pitiful." Pandora coldly replied as she had a merciless look in her eyes. "Very well…"

She held up her right hand and stretched her fingers as she aimed her hand at the strong accented guy; her hand started emitting dark energy.

"I have no choice but to send you to the Shadow Realm." Pandora said as her eyes started glowing red. "Now, PERISH!"

The strong accented guy widened his eyes and then.. he closed his eyes as he was preparing himself for the worst. "I'm sorry, Yuge…"

From a distance, Anna watched in horror as she was still standing at the same spot, while holding her schoolbag. She widened her eyes as her legs were shaking. And so, she struggled for a moment.

'What's going on?! This is so.. unreal.' she thought as she seemed hesitant. She was trembling in fear. 'Whoever she might be, I can't let that person hurt someone who's innocent. But… I-I'm scared! What should I do?'

She was holding her schoolbag even tighter as she was still struggling within herself. But then.. after a little while, she lowered her gaze as she stopped trembling. After witnessing what she saw, she now realized that she had to make a decision; it was now or never.

'No… I-I can't let.. my gutlessness get the better of me.' Anna thought as she gritted her teeth. As Anna dropped her schoolbag, she made her decision. She then started running towards the direction where the strong accented guy was, in hopes of stopping the peculiar individual from attacking.

"What are you doing to him?!" Anna shouted to the individual and used all of her strength to grab the right arm of the individual.

"!?" Pandora reacted as she was taken by surprise.

"Eh.. w-wha?" Strong accented guy replied after he opened his eyes. Surely, he was baffled. And so, he blinked in confusion.

"STOOOOPPP!" Anna cried out as she was still grabbing the right arm of the peculiar individual.

"Hey you! What are ya doin'!?" The strong accented guy said to the girl as he tried to warn her. "You better leave this dump while ya still can!"

Then.. Pandora narrowed her eyes. She then vertically shifted her right arm in a constant, violent motion.. so she could get rid of the girl.

"STOP IT!" Anna cried out again as she had a saddened look on her face. Even though Anna almost lost her grip, she still tried to hold on to the arm and forcefully lower the hand that was emitting strange dark energy.

"Hmph. Foolish, insignificant girl." Pandora replied, but then.. suddenly, a smirk appeared on her face. "But not to worry, I will banish you to the realm of Shadows as well, where darkness will swallow you! And if I'm correct, I believe you've been there before…"

"W-what? I don't know what you're talking abou-"Anna suddenly widened her eyes as she realized something. "NO! It c-can't be… t-that dream!"

When Anna stiffened, Pandora violently shifted her right arm again, causing Anna to fall to the ground. And so, Pandora quickly continued her eradication. But this time, she aimed her right hand at Anna.

"How easy it is to catch you off guard…" Pandora said as she had a merciless look on her face. Her eyes started glowing red and her hand emitted dark energy again as the surroundings were getting colder, darker and eerier. Then.. the dark energy that emitted from her hand started to give off some dark purple sparks.

"I.. gotta.. s-stop.. that f-freakazoid. If I don't, that girl will be a goner!" The strong accented guy said. He tried to prevent Pandora from unleashing her destructive dark energy by moving towards her, but he couldn't do that anymore. He had a duel with the peculiar individual. A shadow duel, to be precise. It caused him to lose all of his strength, hence the over-exhaustion. As he attempted to move one last time, he winced in pain.

Right now, Anna was shocked; the dark energy increased in size. Therefore, it was enormous and unbelievably eerie. She had no idea what was going to happen to her, and so.. she was incredibly scared.

This dark energy was giving off even more dark purple sparks. But now.. the dark energy got closer to Anna. It kept on growing and.. growing. It almost reached her, until…

Anna's crystal heart pendant started glowing as it was radiating light. It blinded Pandora, but it did not stop her from using devastating magic that could send Anna to the Shadow Realm. Then.. as it was projecting a protective shield around Anna, the dark energy collided with the protective shield, which led to a large explosion. An explosion that caused both of them to fly backwards, including the strong accented guy. Anna was blown against the wall and it ultimately caused her to fall to the ground and fall into unconsciousness. The strong accented guy didn't fly backwards, but.. it was the opposite direction. Just like the girl, he ended up lying on the ground as he was close to the wall. Pandora, however, was blown back into the classroom...

* * *

**Well.. that's it for now! I'm busy writing the next chapter, lol. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. And.. well..**

**Until next time! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Here's another chapter! Hope you guys didn't wait long for this, lol. 

Again, thank you for reading for my story! I'll continue writing this story :). 

Alright, let's move on to the story, shall we? 

_**Note: **__I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Only my OCs, my plot and the extra things that I added. Also, NO YAOI._

* * *

Yugi was sprinting, but then.. he finally reached the building of Domino High. While doing so, he looked around. A majority of students ran out of the building and teachers had a hard time keeping those students in place. Even though those teachers tried to calm them down, it still didn't help; the students were still panicking and screaming. Yugi was making his way to the school entrance as he was squeezing through the panicky crowd. And finally.. from a distance, he could see Tea and Tristan and they were standing in front of the school entrance. And so, he ran towards them. 

"Are you guys alright!?" Yugi asked with a worried look om his face. He stopped in front of Tea and Tristan as he was panting. 

"Yeah, we're fine. But..." Tea answered as she had saddened look on her face. 

"Joey is still in the building!" Tristan finished Tea's sentence as he pointed at the building. "Argh! We tried to stop him, but he's trying to be a hero in there!" 

"What!?" Yugi replied as his eyes widened. He then frowned, knowing what to do next. He then started moving again. "You guys should stay here. I'll go and look for Joey!" 

"But Yugi!" Tea replied as she stopped him. She had her hand on Yugi's shoulder and she looked worried. 

"Tea." Yugi said as he turned around and frowned. "I have to do this. And if I don't do something quick, Joey might be in danger!" 

"I'll go with you." Tristan said to Yugi as he already made his decision. "Just in case there are more people in there, they might need help." 

Yugi nodded in agreement. "Good point." 

"Let's go!" Tristan said. But before he went with Yugi, he looked at Tea. "Tea, you better stay here and call for an ambulance!" 

Tea reluctantly nodded. "Alright, but be careful you guys!" 

* * *

A few minutes after Yugi and Tristan entered the school building… 

"JOEY!" Yugi yelled for his friend as his voice was echoing throughout the building. He looked around while running through the building. "Are you in there?!" 

"SAY SOMETHING, BUDDY!" Tristan yelled along as he was still with Yugi, searching for their strong accented friend. He hoped that he would get a response from the guy. But unfortunately, there was no response. No sign or anything that could help. Nothing. 

Then.. Yugi and Tristan stopped running as they both looked troubled. They stood still as they looked at each other for a second. Then.. they both shook their heads. 

"Would be easier if we could get a sign or something." Tristan said as he had a frustrated look on his face. 

But then.. after a little while, they heard a loud explosion from above. 

Yugi gasped as he looked at Tristan. "That must be Joey!" 

"Well.. what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tristan replied as he and Yugi soon rushed to a higher floor. 

And so, they arrived at a higher floor in the corridor. Yugi and Tristan were slowing down as they carefully looked around to find out where the explosion came from. There were holes and cracks in the walls, the window were destroyed and the floor tiles were torn apart. 

"Man.. something crazy must've happened here." Tristan said as he continued looking around. 

Yugi nodded as he frowned. "Well.. let's hope Joey is alright." 

And so, Yugi and Tristan continued their search. They looked in every room or office they stumbled on, but.. Joey wasn't there. And so, they ended up standing in the corridor. 

But then... 

Yugi noticed something from a distance. He couldn't see it accurately, but perhaps.. a clue that was on the other side of the corridor. 

"Wait a second.. I think I see something." Yugi murmured as he continued looking at the same spot. After that, Yugi decided to walk even further as Tristan went along. And.. within a few minutes, they were on the other side of the corridor. And then.. they both saw something that made them gasp. 

"JOEY!" Yugi and Tristan exclaimed in unison as they quickly rushed to their friend. Yes.. what they saw was their strong accented friend. He was lying unconscious on the ground and lying against the wall. And so.. they both switched to a crouching position. 

"Speak to me man!" Tristan shouted as he was shaking his friend. Shortly after, his friend started to twitch a little as his eyes were about to open. 

"!" Yugi and Tristan reacted. 

"Nngggg.." Joey groaned as he tried to sit straight. 

"Are you alright? " Yugi asked as he was concerned. 

"Can you move, buddy?" Tristan asked along. 

"Eh, well…"Joey said as he checked for any possible injuries. He moved his arms, then his legs. Apart from exhaustion, it seemed like the strong accented guy didn't have any wounds or anything painful. "I guess I'm doin' fine now." 

But then… 

"Look over there man." Tristan said to Yugi as he pointed at another person who was lying on the ground just a few meters ahead. 

Yugi looked at where Tristan was pointing, and then.. he gasped. 

"!" Yugi reacted. Apparently, it was his new neighbour: the same girl he saw, when he was heading home with the gang. As he walked over to where the girl was lying, he crouched and checked her pulse. Then.. he noticed some bruises and some cuts on her body. "She's in bad shape!" 

"How about leavin' this dump and takin' her to a doctor?" Joey suggested as he got back on his feet. He then picked up his cards that were scattered on the ground. 

"Tea already called for an ambulance." Tristan said. "I bet they're waiting outside the building now." 

Yugi nodded in agreement as he carefully picked up the girl. He then carried her as he walked towards Joey and Tristan. 

* * *

Shortly after, Yugi and his friends decided to walk back towards the end of the corridor again as they went to a lower floor. While doing so, Joey filled Yugi and Tristan in about what happened to him and the phenomenon. 

Yugi gasped. "A shadow duel?! The millenium items were gone a long time ago, so.. it shouldn't be possible!" 

"Yeah, well.. she didn't wear any of that. Anyway.. that cape-wearin' freakazoid was lookin' for ya, Yuge. And I had no idea she zapped people to the Shadow Realm. Ya know, she went all bezerk here and that's when I had to step in and duel her. But unfortunately, I had some bad luck out there." Joey answered as he looked at the girl that Yugi was carrying. "That freakazoid was about to send me to the Shadow Realm too. But then.. that girl came in and tried to save me." 

Yugi sighed as he felt guilty about the whole situation. "...sorry guys, I should've come earlier." 

Then.. Joey had a confused look on his face. "Whaddaya mean!?" 

"Look, Joey." Yugi said as he had a serious look on his face. "It was looking for me, so I am the one who's responsible for-" 

Kkkkggggghhhrrrrr… BAM! 

Yugi gasped. 

He and his friends stopped their movement and instantly turned around. They were interrupted by a sudden loud noise. The ground started crumbling as they stood guard. After that, they heard footsteps. Slow footsteps. And the sound of those footsteps were getting louder and louder. 

"Oh boy…" Joey reacted with a troubled look on his face. 

And then.. Pandora appeared in front of them. Without any injuries. However, it seemed like she had a hard time standing steady. And then.. a smirk appeared on her face. 

"Ah, at last." Pandora spoke as she walks even further. "The boy who once bore the soul of the Nameless Pharaoh. Or should I say.. Pharaoh Atem?" 

"Who are you?!" Yugi asked as he gritted his teeth while standing guard. "Why are you here?" 

"Ah, I thought you'd never ask. Well then.. first, I shall reveal myself in my true form." Pandora replied as she takes off the hood of her grey cloak. 

She closed her eyes as dark purple sparks and circles surrounded her pitch black body. The sparks and circles twirled around swiftly. And so.. the blackness on her body disappeared as she now stands in front of the three boys in her true form; white mid-thigh length hair without bangs, pale skin and a shredded, black bodysuit with white outlines. Last but not least, she had a ghostly appearance and wore a skeleton ring bracelet on her right hand. 

"Gahhh! A ghost!?" Joey reacted as he freaked out. "I duelled a ghost! I think I'm goin' nuts..." 

"My purpose is simple." Pandora spoke as she simply ignored the strong accented guy. She looked at Yugi as she continues answering his question. Her face was cold and expressionless. "I carry out the wishes of my master." 

Then.. she violently held up her right hand as her ring bracelet transformed into a duel disk. A dark grey duel disk with bones on the arm blade. "Therefore, I'm here to eliminate you, Yugi Muto. Now.. duel me! Or your friends will perish. Along with the rest of the world!" 

"No way!" Tristan reacted as he was left dumbstruck. 

Clearly, Pandora was targeting Yugi. Since the grey-cloaked woman almost wiped out one of his best friends, he couldn't afford losing his friends again. Therefore, he knew what he had to do now. And so.. Yugi turned to his friends. 

"You guys need to leave and head back to the entrance." Yugi said as he frowned. "Hurry up and go!" 

"WHAT!?" Joey reacted as he was perplexed. "What are ya sayin', Yuge?! There's no way we're gonna leave ya behind!" 

"LISTEN TO ME! I can't afford losing you guys!" Yugi replied as he slightly raised his voice. "If I don't duel her, the world might be in danger again. You have to trust me on this!" 

But then.. Tristan walked over to Yugi. 

"We'll take the girl to the hospital and let you take care of that evil nutcase." Tristan said as Yugi gave him a nod. 

Then.. the tricoloured spiky-haired guy handed over the girl to Tristan and walked a little further towards Pandora as he now stood in front of his friends, facing his back to Tristan and Joey. 

"But, this psycho can duel circles around ya!" Joey protested. 

"I'll be fine!" Yugi said to his friends as he was ready to protect them. 

Joey gritted his teeth. "Yuge!" 

"You heard him man! Let's go." Tristan said to Joey, while carrying the girl on his back. He then started moving. "Yugi can beat this nutcase, we have to trust him on that!" 

Eventually, Joey accepted it and so.. he finally went with Tristan. Both guys were wishing their spiky-haired friend luck. 

* * *

After Tristan and Joey left… 

"Pandora, I'll accept your challenge!" Yugi said as he stood guard again. He had a more serious look on his face. "Here's the deal. If I win, all the people you sent to the Shadow Realm need to be set free!" 

"Hmph." Pandora replied as she narrowed her eyes. "And if you lose?" 

"You can take my soul." Yugi answered as he prepared himself to face his opponent. 

"Very well." Pandora said as her eyes were suddenly glowing red again. Then.. with just a quick, vertical hand movement, the surroundings were instantly changing; the corridor was nowhere to be seen, only heavy dark fog that's surrounding Pandora and Yugi. And last but not least, the cries of hungry shadow creatures. They were ready to feast on an innocent soul like Yugi. 

Yugi gasped as he quickly glanced around. He recognized it instantly and.. it looked like he's about to have a shadow duel. 

'This must be what Joey told me about, when he said Pandora is capable of sending people to the Shadow Realm.' Yugi thought as he quickly glanced at Pandora. 'No-one has been able to do that without the seven millennium items and they were sealed away, after facing Atem in a ceremonial duel! …wait, does this mean there's something beyond the millennium items?!' 

And once again, Yugi frowned. 

"Let's see how well you can endure this, shall we?" Pandora said as she had a intimidating smirk on her face. "Since the King of Egypt is no longer here to 'protect you', you'll be even more vulnerable! You're nothing but a pathetic, little boy." 

Yugi gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist; he certainly did not appreciate the words that came from Pandora. But.. despite that, he determinedly held up his duel disk as he activated it. "I thought you came here to duel me. So.. what are you waiting for? Get on with it!" 

"Hmph.. impatient, are we?" Pandora responded as she had a merciless look on her face. "Very well then." 

Right now, Yugi was focusing on winning this shadow duel. Together with his alter ego, he faced plenty of enemies in a shadow duel before. And so.. he was well-aware about the risk and the fact that the stakes were higher. This time, Yugi was alone. And he knew he had no other choice but to face Pandora in a shadow duel. And so.. both of them were getting ready for their match as they already held up their duel disks. And finally, they inserted their decks in their duel disks as they both called out the final sentence. 

"It's time to duel!" 

* * *

**Well.. that's about it for now. I'll tell you this, there will be some duelling in the next chapter. Heh heh.**

**It won't be easy to write that, but I'll try my best, LOL.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Again, thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Hello! Once again, I'm posting a new chapter for you guys. 

It's my first time writing a chapter that involves 'duelling', lol. I'll try my best to make it more like the actual series, heh heh. I had to look up some information about the actual cardgame, lol. 

Sooo difficult! xD 

**Extra things in this chapter:** I added like.. a card effect for 'Embryonic Beast', since that one didn't have any effects/special ability or w/e. And.. I gave the ritual monster Chakra like.. 3500 attack points. Fair enough? Lol xD. 

**Important note: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own this plot, my OCs and the extra things that I added. No Yaoi or whatever. 

* * *

**Chapter 11: Yugi versus Pandora (part 1)**

_**Yugi Muto: 4000 – Pandora: 4000**_

"Hm…" Pandora said as she started first. She held 5 cards in her hand as she drew 1 card from her deck. She quickly glanced at the card that she drew. "To begin with, I summon Embryonic Beast (500/750) in defense mode." 

As she placed the card on the duel disk. A round, grotesque monster appeared on the field as it let out a distorted, inhuman cry. The monster had its arms crossed as it had a big, dark hole in its belly. 

"Lastly…" Pandora said with a cold look on her face. She was about to place another card on the disk. "I lay one card facedown. And with that, my turn ends." 

"My move!" Yugi said as he drew 1 card from his deck. He quickly glanced at his 6 cards and looked at Pandora's side of the field as he frowned. 

'She played a weak monster on the field.' Yugi thought as he glanced at his cards again. 'Well.. I could summon my Gazelle to the field. It has enough attack points to wipe out her Embryonic Beast, but then again.. she has another facedown card…' 

Then.. all of sudden, Yugi could hear Pandora laugh. 

Pandora smirked as she was taunting the spiky-haired teenager. "Finish your move. You don't need the Pharaoh to pick those cards for you, do you?" 

"A good strategy takes time. You know that as well." Yugi said as he frowned and held his cards tightly. And without hesitating, he started making his move. 

"I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) to the field in attack mode!" Yugi said as he placed the card on the disk. 

A single-horned lion appeared on the field and it was roaring ferociously. 

He was about to make his next move. "Now, Gazelle! Attack her Embryonic Beast!" 

The lion was ready to take down a prey as it started moving fast. It roared once again as it moved even faster to the prey on the opponent side of the field. The dangerous claws were extended and it was about unleash its claws on its prey, but suddenly.. his monster didn't finish its attack. 

"What!?" Yugi reacted as he was surprised. 

"You look rather puzzled, little Yugi." Pandora spoke as she seemed somewhat.. amused. "Well then.. take a closer look." 

The grotesque beast bounced off the attack as it stretched out its belly. And within a few seconds, the hole in its belly grew bigger and it transformed into a black vortex. The vortex swallowed its target as it soon spat out Yugi's monster, thus returning it back to Yugi's side of the field. 

After witnessing what Yugi saw, he was flustered. "But it should be able to attack your monster!" 

"You are unaware of the special ability that my creature possesses." Pandora smirked as she explained. "When a monster directly attacks my creature, it will block that attack and the attack points of your monster will be cut in half." 

**Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (**_**1500**_**/1200 – **_**750**_**/1200)**

'My lifepoints remain untouched for now.' Yugi thought as he looked at his cards. 'But I have to come up with a different strategy now, who knows what she has in store for me?' 

Pandora laughed at Yugi once again. "Stalling won't help, little Yugi." 

Yugi frowned as he placed another card in his duel disk. "I'll place one card facedown. And end my turn…" 

"Hmph." Pandora spoke in a more distinct voice. "I expected more from you, but I suppose what they conversed about is true; you're a weak boy. And I shall eliminate you and those despicable humans. And by the time I eliminated you, the Shadows will certainly succeed in destroying the Hereafter." 

"Not if I stop you!" Yugi replied as he had determined look on his face. "I'll protect them!" 

"We shall see." Pandora stated as she drew another card from her deck. She quickly glanced at it as she had her eyes on Yugi again. "And now, I shall summon.. Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (1600/1300) in attack mode!" 

A blue, muscular fiend in skull armor appeared on the field, showing his teeth viciously and wielding a slim sword. Small thunderbolts were giving off as the fiend was ready to strike down its opponent. 

"Now.. Beiige, attack!" Pandora mercilessly ordered. "Sliver that weak monster!" 

The blue, muscular skull-armoured fiend tightly gripped his sword as he was preparing himself to attack. He growled as he viciously ran towards the single-horned lion. And when the fiend was swinging his sword, he cut the lion in half, causing the lion to roar. The lion disintegrated and disappeared, leaving Yugi with no monsters on the field. 

_**Yugi Muto: 3150 – Pandora: 4000**_

"No! My gazelle!" Yugi reacted. Within a few seconds, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and so.. he had his hand on that area. "ARGH!" 

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Pandora coldly responded as she continued her move. "Lastly, I'll lay these two cards facedown and end my turn." 

"My move!" Yugi said as he drew another card from his deck. 

'Great! I needed this!' Yugi thought as he looked at the card. 

"First, I'll activate Graceful Charity!" Yugi declared. He activated Graceful Charity as the card soon revealed itself on the field. "It lets me draw 3 cards, as long as I discard 2!" 

"That won't help, little Yugi." Pandora said. 

"Oh, it will. And I'm not done yet!" He continued. "Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn! I'll bring back my Gazelle and I sacrifice him in order to summon.. Chaos Command Magician (2400/1900)!" 

"Hm, what's this?" Pandora responded as she was slightly surprised. And so.. she continued to observe. 

The single-horned lion appeared on the field as it disappeared once again. But then.. a dark-green magician appeared on the field as it held his staff majestically. 

"Now, Chaos Command Magician!" Yugi declared as he determinedly pointed his finger. "Attack Pandora's Embryonic Beast with Chaos Magic Attack!" 

And so.. the dark-green magician moved forward to Pandora's side of the field as he positioned himself to attack. 

Pandora laughed at Yugi again. "Foolish child! Are you oblivious? My creature will block your magician!" 

"I wouldn't make those assumptions if I were you." Yugi replied. 

Yugi's Chaos Command Magician was glowing as It attacked the grotesque beast. The beast attempted to bounce off his attack, but it failed. The magician was swinging his staff as it released a devastating, dark blast. It ultimately caused the beast to let out a monstrous cry and soon.. the beast was obliterated, causing Pandora to wince in pain. And right now, she had one monster on the field. 

"I activated Chaos Command Magician's special ability." Yugi explained. "It negated your monster's special ability, allowing me to attack once again!" 

_**Yugi Muto: 3150 – Pandora: 2350**_

"Well then.. I activate my trap card, Soul Resurrection!" Pandora replied. "I shall bring back Embryonic Beast from the graveyard and summon it in defense mode!" 

And so.. Pandora's round, grotesque beast returned to the field once again. 

'Why is she doing that? There's no point in bringing it back to the field, since my magician is capable of cancelling the monster's effect.' Yugi thought as he wondering. 'Wait.. could it be that she's waiting for something?' 

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." Yugi said as he placed another facedown card. 

"Hmph, I'm getting rather fatigued of you prolonging your defeat." Pandora replied as her turn starts again. She drew another card from her deck. A smirk appeared on her face as she looked the card that she drew. "It is now time to eliminate you once and for all!" 

"I'll activate.. Fires of Doomsday!" Pandora declared as she activated the card. "This card allows me to special summon 2 Doomsday Tokens (0/0) to the field in defense mode!" 

A small, grey one-eyed monster appeared on the field. Its flames were dancing around as it was splitting in two monsters. 

"But unfortunately, they won't be around for long." Pandora continued. "I sacrifice these Doomsday Tokens, my Embryonic Beast and Beiige!" 

And so.. the ground started to crumble; a large crack appeared on the ground as it was splitting open. Red mist rose from the ground that was now split open. The grey one-eyed monster disappeared into the ground, along with the blue muscular fiend and the grotesque beast. 

"And now.. you will witness a force of darkness! The creature that will bring you total destruction and devastation!" Pandora said as she smirked. "I shall summon.. Chakra (3500/2000)!" 

"!" Yugi reacted as he gasped. 

A devastating, one-eyed creature appeared on the field as it had a dark purple body. The creature was floating and it had sharp claws on its wings. Its lower body and arms were hideous; they were mutated. 

"It seems like our duel has come to an end, little Yugi." Pandora said as she now had a merciless look on her face. "Now.. SURRENDER! Or witness pain and suffering!" 

_To be continued…_

* * *

**Yeah, that's about it for now. And again.. thank you so much for reading my story. I promise you, I won't stop writing! xD**

**Until next time! :)****  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Hey guys! I'm here to post another chapter again :). 

Writers block ftl, but I managed to post this chapter on time! 

It's great to see that I get even more reviews on my story! It's kind of.. motivating :D! 

Btw, I've been thinking about posting extra seasons/arcs. I got TONS of new ideas and I can't wait to write down all down! But.. maybe I should finish this season first, before making hasty decisions, hehe. :P 

It'll take a while, but hey! You guys like it so far, right? I guess I'll continue :). 

Thanks for being here with me. You guys are kind and awesome! Sit back and enjoy this story. 

**Note:** _I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own this plot, my OCs and the extra things that I added. No Yaoi or whatever._

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"It seems like our duel has come to an end, little Yugi." Pandora said as she now had a merciless look on her face. "Now.. SURRENDER! Or witness pain and suffering!" 

"Never!" Yugi replied as he was still standing strong. 

'I have to stop this madness!' Yugi thought as he frowned. He was well-aware that Pandora was trying to weaken him mentally. It reminded him of someone else; the Evil Bakura attempted to weaken him during their final duel in the World of Memories. And.. it almost took its toll on him. Mainly because, Yugi used to considered himself as a weak person. And for a short moment, he doubted about himself. Did he really change after the Pharaoh left? Or did he remain the same? But then.. he shook his head as he clenched his fist. 'No, I can't think like that. I have to win this duel and protect everyone!' 

The merciless Pandora was about to order her dreadful creature to launch a devastating attack on Yugi, who clearly sensed a force of pure darkness. He was standing guard as he gritted his teeth. 

"Now, Chakra.. my creature!" Pandora ordered. "Disintegrate his Chaos Command Magician!" 

The dark purple one-eyed creature slightly ascended into the air as its mutated hands started materializing a dark energy blast. It increased in size as the creature launched the blast that was directed to Yugi's Chaos Command Magician. 

But then… 

"I activate.. MIRROR FORCE!" Yugi shouted as he revealed his trap card. 

"WHAT'S THIS!?" She reacted in a resentful way as her eyes widened. 

A force shield materialized in front of the dark green magician. 

"It stops the attack and redirects it back at Chakra!" Yugi continued. "Now, say goodbye to YOUR MONSTER!" 

The force shield reflected the dark energy blast, causing it to collide and explode. After that.. strong, gusty winds were blowing into Yugi's direction. He groaned as he shielded his eyesight with his arm. After a little while, Yugi decided to look at his opponent's side of the field. 

_**Yugi Muto: 3150 – Pandora: 1250**_

The ashes of the one-eyed creature were scattered on the ground as it soon vanished into thin air; leaving remnants of red mist on the field. 

* * *

Tea was still standing in front of the school entrance, she held her phone tightly and waited for the ambulance to arrive. 

'What's taking them so long?' She thought as she was extremely concerned. 'They've been away for a while now, I really hope they're alright.' 

She then looked at the building as she let out a sigh. 

"This is just.. great." Tea muttered sarcastically to herself as she was bummed. "Just when I thought things were going the way they used to be, another thing pops up out of nowhere." 

Suddenly, Tea heard sirens. Ambulance sirens. She turned around as she then saw the ambulance, the vehicle stopped in front of the building. Shortly after, a group of men stepped out of those vehicle; they were wearing ambulance uniforms. And clearly, they were carrying a stretcher. 

'Good, the ambulance is here now.' Tea thought as she was now waiting for Joey, Tristan and Yugi. 

But then... 

"Tea!" Two familiar voices shouted. 

Tea quickly turned around as she saw Joey and Tristan exiting the school entrance. They were running towards their brunette friend and stopped in front of her. 

"Thank goodness! You guys are-" Tea said as she then noticed that Tristan was carrying the dark-haired girl. And then.. her eyes were searching for her spiky-haired friend, Yugi. "...where is Yugi?" 

"Yugi is still inside." Tristan answered as he continued. "There's another evil nutcase inside that building." 

Joey nodded. "Our Yuge is duellin' that nutcase." 

"WHAT!? It's too dangerous! We have to go back and get him!" Tea responded as she seemed to be slightly upset. She was about to take a step towards the school building, when suddenly… 

Joey placed his hand on her shoulder as he shook his head.

"But…" She said. 

"Tea." Tristan said as he had a serious look on his face. "Yugi is dealing with it now, so he told us to go without him. We gotta trust him on that." 

"Don't worry about him, Tea." Joey said as he seemed to be confident. "Yugi will kick some evil butt, and he'll come back to us in no time!" 

"I guess you're right, guys." Tea said as she finally gave in. 

The gang walked towards the group of men who were carrying a stretcher. Tristan handed over the dark-haired girl to the ambulance crew as they placed her on the stretcher. The ambulance crew and the gang were heading back to the vehicle. While doing so, Tea looked at the dark-haired girl who was injured and then.. she turned to Joey and Tristan again. 

"I'll stay with the girl, while you guys wait for Yugi!" Tea suggested while the crew placed the stretcher in the back of the vehicle. Shortly after, she hopped in as she sat next to the unconscious girl in the vehicle. 

"Good idea, Tea." Tristan replied to Tea. "We'll call you later!" 

Tea nodded. And with that, the back door of the ambulance closed. Joey and Tristan watched as the vehicle drove away. After that, they walked back towards the school entrance as they now stood in front of the building. 

Joey glanced at the building as he noticed something suspicious. "What the…" 

"What?" Tristan responded as he looked at his friend. "Something wrong, man?" 

Joey pointed at the dark mass that partially surrounded the building. "Our pal is in the middle of a shadow duel!" 

* * *

45 minutes later… 

After losing a large amount of lifepoints, both Yugi and Pandora were panting as they had a hard time standing steady; they were evenly matched. 

Pandora slightly groaned in pain and stumbled as she quickly stood steady. The pain didn't matter to her, since her sole purpose was to serve her master. And with that, she ignored the pain as she coldly glanced at her opponent. 

Right now, Yugi had his Dark Magician Girl on the field as he had two facedown cards. 

_**Yugi Muto: 800 – Pandora: 800**_

As for Pandora, she had her Abyss Guardian on her field. And since it was her turn, she placed the same amount of facedown cards and ended her turn. 

Yugi frowned as he still tried to stand strong. "In the next turn, I'll wipe you out! So.. stop this madness and leave my friends and everyone else out of this! 

Pandora narrowed her eyes. 

"You still vow to protect those other petty humans that you call 'friends', don't you? How naïve." Pandora responded coldly. "And truly nauseating. The world is a defiled place and your young mind does not comprehend the true nature of it." 

"I have to disagree on that." Yugi countered as he stayed calm. He knew about the fact that every evil being he encountered before had the same purpose: to rid the world of its peaceful state, engulf it in darkness and conquer it. And so.. something different struck Yugi, he soon realized his opponent seemed to be the perfect example of being indoctrinated. "The world is a peaceful place and it surrounds me with the people I care about!" 

But then.. Pandora started laughing. 

"Humans and their foolish morals… HOW IRONIC!" Pandora continued. Her eyes were widening as she had a disgusted look on her face. "And to think that your precious friend, Pharaoh Atem, did not retrieve.. ALL OF HIS MEMORIES!" 

Yugi gasped as he was shocked. "…what!?" 

* * *

**That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed it.  
**

**And well.. until next time!**

**I'm gonna work on the next chapter!**


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